i am sorry that he could not be here with us. every manifestation of our state, whether it is the people who vote, local, regional authorities to participate, elected officials, everyone agrees that this was a priority. when the secretary says we have our act together, mr. secretary, we have been ready for a long time. what made such a difference, what tipped it over, of course, was the vision and leadership of president barack obama and the courage to go forward with this american reinvestment and recovery act which has saved or created millions of jobs, and now so many more in our state. we have been the bastion of creativity and the entrepreneurial thinking. we have embraced what is possible in technology and science, clean energy, and essential to all of that, under george miller's leadership, education. california, in our view, has always led the way. our great city has led the charge to the future of prosperity founded in the drive, determination, and the spirit of our workers. i, too, want to salute the building trade for